A broad spectrum of HPV types, the majority from the B1 group, was found in skin of Australian patients with skin tumours. HPV 38 was found significantly more often in SK than in SCC. However, the role of cutaneous HPV infection in the pathogenesis of NMSC remains elusive.

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From a basal cell carcinoma (BCC) the complete genome of candidate human papillomavirus (HPV) type 92 was characterized. Phylogenetically, the candidate HPV 92 was relatively distantly related to other cutaneous HPV types within the B1 group. By quantitative real time PCR, 94 viral copies were present per cell in the BCC and another BCC contained 1 viral copy per cell. Lower copy numbers were found in two solar keratoses (1 copy per 33 cells and 1 copy per 60 cells) and two squamous cell carcinomas (1 copy per 436 cells and 1 copy per 1143 cells). The high viral load of HPV 92 in two BCCs differs from the low amount of HPV DNA reported from nonmelanoma skin cancers.

Atypical fibroxanthoma (AFX) and malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) are neoplasms of probable fibrohistiocytic lineage. The precise relationship between AFX and MFH remains controversial. We present two cases in which a lesion was excised from the face of an elderly person and reported as AFX. Both cases recurred within 12 months and were reclassified as MFH. They were excised with slow Mohs' micrographic surgery, with adjuvant radiotherapy in one case. In the other, a further recurrence was treated with orbital exenteration and radiotherapy. We review the difficulties in differentiating between AFX and MFH and the implications for treatment.

Two novel human papillomaviruses (HPVs), HPV93 and HPV96, with genomes of 7450 and 7438 bp, respectively, are described. The L1 open reading frame of HPV93 showed highest identity to HPV24 (79 %) and that of HPV96 had highest identity to HPV92 (71 %). Real-time PCR for HPV92, 93 and 96 on stripped biopsies from tumours and healthy skin from 269 immunocompetent patients found HPV DNA in 2.6 % of tumours and in 0.4 % of healthy skin samples. Double infections were observed in two tumours. HPV92 was detected in four, HPV93 in two and HPV96 in three tumours. The range of viral loads spanned from one copy per 45 cells to one copy per 10 000 cells. The E7 proteins of HPV92, 93 and 96 were found to bind the retinoblastoma protein (pRb). These results suggest a possible role for these HPV types in skin carcinogenesis that deserves further study.Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are epitheliotropic agents infecting both the genital tract and cutaneous tissue. High-risk types infecting the genital tract, e.g. HPV16, are recognized as important carcinogens (zur Hausen, 1996). HPV types infecting cutaneous tissue are the focus of investigation as possible carcinogenic agents of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC). The NMSCs basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) are the most frequently occurring malignancies in Caucasian populations (Kiviat, 1999). Exposure to UV radiation is the major risk factor for development of NMSC, but increased risk is also observed among those with immunosuppressive treatment and fair skin type (Alam & Ratner, 2001). Cutaneous HPV infection is associated with NMSC in patients with the rare, hereditary disease epidermodysplasia verruciformis (EV) (Majewski & Jablonska, 1995;Orth, 1986) and about 20 distinct HPV types are found in lesions of these patients (Pfister & Ter Schegget, 1997). These HPV types can also be detected in lesions of immunocompetent patients as well as in healthy skin, making it difficult to assess the pathological significance of these viruses (Antonsson et al., 2000). However, HPV has been proposed as a co-factor for UV radiation in the development of NMSC (Akgul et al., 2006;Harwood et al., 1999).To date, over 100 HPV types have been characterized, but recently, a sensitive method, FAP PCR (Forslund et al., 1999), has detected about 130 additional putative cutaneous HPV types (Antonsson et al., 2000(Antonsson et al., , 2003aAntonsson & Hansson, 2002; Forslund et al., 1999 Forslund et al., , 2003bForslund et al., , 2004. Except for HPV92 (Forslund et al., 2003a), only subgenomic sequences are known of these putative HPV types. In this study, the complete genome sequences of two novel types, HPV93 and HPV96, were obtained by generating overlapping amplicons. HPV93 was described previously as FAIMVS6, originally identified in an actinic keratosis (AK) on the dorsum of the hand of an immunocompetent 82-year-old male (Forslund et al., 2003b). HPV96 was described previously as FA47 (Antonsson et al., 2003b) and was, in the current study, detected in a SCC in situ on...